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Over 15,853 reviews forAtlanta Deck Builders from people just like you.

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and his team did a worderful job for us. We were looking for a complete modernization of a rental apartment and he really came through. He" ...More is very personable and easy to communicate with. We had lots of ideas but he helped us channel them into reality and came up with a thorough project list that we could afford. He also worked around our schedule with trying to get tenants into the place quickly. The quality was very good even though the price was very reasonable. I would use

and

again both for my own house and rental properties. I really had no complaints at all.

-Mike F.

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's communication was great as well the quality of the work. I am a happy customer. He repaired the risers on my porch steps and painted" ...More them as well as repairing some trim. He was very friendly, professional, and I would definitely use him again for other things.

If you’re a handy homeowner with construction skills, building a deck might be a project you consider tackling yourself. Without having to pay labor costs, a DIY deck may prove to be an affordable alternative.

A wood deck can be a wonderful place to spend time outdoors, but over time, weather can cause the structure to deteriorate. Learning how to repair common deck problems can help keep your structure in top shape for years to come.

Examine the difference between decks and porches and decide which one might be right for you and your family. Consider cost, lifestyle requirements, the layout of your property and other factors for the right extension of your living space.

Inspiration & Ideas

Angie's Answers

As stated by others: You get what you pay for. Many contractors no longer use employees. The cost/benefit ratio is gone by the time worker's comp. insurance, unemplyment and other taxes are paid. Especially with the high turnover in our industry. Many, myself included, have our guys set up as sub-contractors. That means even if the job is only for a day the duties have been outlined and a set pay to complete those duties has been established from the onset. It's a better way to manage costs once I got used to it. Also, it means I can operate cheaper and not have to charge as much to the customer. My agreements with my guys, which they sign, make it clear that I nor the homeowner are responsible for their safety and medical care should a problem arise and that all parties are relieved of any such obligation. If you hire a contractor who follows this growing practice ask to see a copy of his sub-contractor agreement.

That being said, a legitimate contractor still has operating cost which vary by area and how they run their business. I break even at $150/day not including labor and materials so I've got to charge more than that to make money. To keep the math simple, if I'm paying $250 for a pne day job in labor plus another $300 in materials and $150 operating costs I've got to charge $700 to the customer to break even. That's if I'm only doing one job a day which is why most of us manage several at a time. The point I'm trying to make is that someone with the necessary knowledge and experience to build you a safe deck is not going to be cheap. Knowledge accompanies success which costs money.

I've repaired or restructured several decks built by handymen who should find another profession. Ask yourself this question when hiring someone for this project: Would I trust this person to build my house? If the answer is no you need to find someone else. The deck is just as important. It's where your family, friends, kids are going to gather and interact. If it isn't structurally sound it can collapse causing injury or even death. One last word on decks: Always screw a deck together, don't nail it.

I agree with Jim Casper - after about 50 years of dealing with weathered wood finishing both in my homes and in the construction business, it comes down to about 90% preparation, 10% the finishing. If you do not prep the wood right, any moisture, mold, etc in the wood will destroy whatever you put over it.

High-build finishes like paint and epoxies and, from reading the Rustoleum flyer on this new product that too, work by trying to make an impenetrable surface and depend on a very good bond with the surface, AND no water getting under them. Because they are thick and are designed to provide a waterproof surface, unfortunately where water gets under them they are just as good or better at keeping it from evaporating, so you get fungal growth, blistering, and peeling.

Unfortunately, on deck and most outdoor applications except siding the surface will get nicked, scratched and otherwise develop leaks in short order. Water will therefore get into the underlying wood, and because it entered through small cracks and scratches, does not have any airflow to make it evaporate, so it sits there and breaks the finish bond to the wood (causing peeling and blisters), and promotes decay. That is why new deck boards and siding and trim that have been heavily or multi-coat painted on all 4 sides, thinking that will give the best protection, only last a few years versus the usual 10-20 years or so for boards that are painted top and sides only.

The full sun and hot conditions will, of course, cause more thann normal heating of dark colored painted decking. I had one instance where I was doing an independent appraisal of a very large commercial deck at a government facility, and in 85-90 degree daytime temps, in the sushine the chocolate brown deck surface temp was 150 degrees, and the paint was softening so much it stuck to the bottom of your shoes a couple of months after application.

As Jim said, the studies pretty clearly show that a breathable penetrating stain gives the best life, after plain ACA/CCA (copper chromium variations - the green stuff) treated wood. Penetrating stains, properly applied, do NOT seal in the moisture, they inhibit its entry and (when dark colored) help protect against sun damage to the wood and finish, but still breathe enough to let moisture escape on dry days. For my money, I will only use petroleum distillate (paint thinner cleanup) products, as they penetrate into the wood much better. Water based ones immediately start swelling the wood pores, so it blocks further penetration of the stain, which while cleanup is a bit easier, totally defeats the purpose of a PENETRATING stain or sealer.

I would recommend against any sort of waterproofing sealer, as they trap the water just like paint, and I have never seen one that is effective for 2 years.

My personal preference, though it limits the architectural coloration possibilities, is ground-contact rated copper compound treated wood (NOT the Wolmanized brown product), which comes green initially but can be retreated with either green or brown solution or can be liquid colorized darker (though not easily to a specific tone) using either of those as a base. My practice is to redo the treatment before installation to ensure thorough treatment, as from the mill it commonly has skips where boards contacted each other or where stacking seperators laid on it, and the ends are commonly very poorly done. This is done after cutting to length, as cut ends have to be retreated anyway. A simple short deck cleaner soak followed by a light pressure washing and brush or roller re-treating of ONLY the TOP surface every 10 years or so has, for me, reduced visible weathering of the boards and beams to negligible.

Assuming you buy the right size door to fit the rough opening, and that your old door is not a size that is no longer made, and that you get the correct depth and transition adapters and sills and flashing and trim and seals and such, and that you transport it home without distorting and damaging it, then removal and disposal of old one and install new one probably about $250-400 depending on how well it fits, number of transition and similar pieces that have to be assembled (from 1 or 2 for some doors to as many as 30 on others).

The laundry list of things at the start WAS intended to intimidate you - I would say not 1 in 25 homeowners who buy a new patio door have bought it the right size for the rough opening and have everything needed to install it - the contractor almost invariably has to go get materials or parts to complete the installation - sometimes waiting weeks for factory adapters that are needed or missing parts AFTER the original door has already been taken out.

I would question why you are going to probably spend as much installing a door that may not do the job for you as the cost of the door. I would hazard at least half of people who go buy a $250-400 cheap door at a box store are sorely disappointed within months - due to poorly fitted parts, bad or non-existent seals causing drafts or water leaks, fogging or breaking glass, etc.

I would recommend you assess your needs, in conjunction with your installer find a decent and reputable brand unit to fit that need and that fits the loction right, and probably pay 50% more installed but have something that you might actually be happy with. Oh - BTW - your best installers generally will not install the cheapest box store units because they do not want the callbacks, so many times the quality of the installer who will actually do the job for you at a price you are willing to pay gives you a job that is - you guessed it, worth what you paid for it.

Deck Building reviews in Atlanta

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To say the experience has been perfect would be a lie but I've never been part of a remodeling project that is. Knowing and accepting that fact

(

and Henni specifically) have been truly stellar!
They have been extremely patient to work with as we have made quite a few changes along the way ...More always providing expert advice even when it is not what we wanted to hear.
On top of being responsive, professional, patient and overall fun to work with

has ensured that everyone that has come to our home (their workers) are professional and attentive.
There were times when workers did not show up on time or left some trash behind and if

was not the first to notice and inform me all it took was one call from me and the next day the ship was sailing in the right direction.
There were a few times that my job took me out of town at critical points in the project and

was always willing to take pics, videos, conf. calls to ensure I was not left out of the loop.
This was extremely helpful as it could have stalled the project. I've met quite a few contractors that are great at what they do but have yet to embrace technology and this is not the case with

and

.
I would highly recommend

to any stranger and have already recommended them to quite a few neighbors and friends. They are actually going to start work for a neighbor sometime soon.
In regards to pricing

is not the cheapest group you'll find but they are not the most expensive. A neighbor I recommended

to ended up going with a cheaper contractor and halfway through the project the contractor left town...

was also very helpful and understanding when it came to payments allowing us to space out some of the payments in order to kick things off.
Not to sound like a broken record but I would highly recommend

and G-d willing when we extend our house in the back 5-7 years from now we will not even think twice to use someone else.”

- Emile A.

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We had a deck and

that we wanted removed and replaced with a screened-in porch. We had several meetings with

, the owner, and liked how detailed the quote was and how responsive he was to our questions. We decided to work with Decks & More and they began the work quickly after receiving all the necessary ...More permits.
The guys who came each day to work were professional and courteous. They cleaned up at the end of each day.

, the project manager, was wonderful to work with! He was there every day and answered all our questions. We felt we were in good hands!
The porch has turned out beautifully! It has a cathedral ceiling with bead-board and beams and a small bead-board wall for the TV. They took care of the roof, gutters, screens, electricity, foundation, tiling the floor, etc. All in all it took about 4 weeks, which was fantastic!
Decks & More did a wonderful job with this project! We are incredibly happy with the outcome!”

- Caitlin M.

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The crew does not speak English. There was maybe on guy that did.

The work has been sub-par. The work schedule was very inconsistent. They would do a half days work, then would come back haphazardly.

The columns were not straight. We felt we supervised the project and constantly asked for corrections.”

- Lauren L.

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I contacted the provider and we set a date. He arrived, pressure washed the deck and stained it. He did a great job and far more than I expected. I highly recommend this company and would use them again in the future.”

- Debora G.

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did a fantastic job on our landscape from start to finish.

was patient, understanding and thorough, and he was very helpful in helping us develop ideas for our landscape.
The old landscape was a disaster. Between our own unavoidable neglect and the history of the property, the grass and landscaping ...More had largely become a ruin. Noxious weeds had taken over the lawn, there were no real outdoor entertaining spaces, and it had become an eyesore on an otherwise delightful house.
We contacted

after a frustrating experience with another landscape designer.

contacted us within a day to arrange to see the location and gather ideas for what we wanted to install. We wanted a low maintenance yard, with better pedestrian guidance in the front and entertaining space in the back. In return, he provided a professionally rendered drawing of our yard including the requested features. For places where we were still unsure, he worked with us on ideas and suggestions for plants and hardscape. In the end, the design included decorative hedging and paved walkways in the front and a patio with

in the back. New sod would be laid elsewhere.
Once we were scheduled, his crew was on time and on schedule for the two weeks allocated to finish the job. His crew were polite and hard-working, and they left the job site clean each day. We were continuously impressed with the quality of the work and the attention to detail, and at the end, he wrapped up any outstanding issues and details.
We were left with a fabulous yard, and while the bottom line was high, I felt the cost was well worth the result. If I had another yard,

would be my first and only choice for my landscaping needs.”

- Philip A.

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Navid from outdoor makeovers is a creative genius, but what makes him truly exceptional is his ability to do all that he does within the framework of your vision and budget. The staff they employ are truly professional craftsmen (their work is exceptional and it will probably outlast our home). We had a rather large project which included removal ...More of an old driveway grading the property and the addition of a patio, inset

, fire pit, and retaining wall. With the scope of work you’d be surprised to find out the job was completed in 9 days (ahead of schedule). As with all jobs things come up and here is where the

team really shines. We had some unforeseen drainage issues and a concrete slab of a parking pad that was twice as thick as expected. There is no nickel and diming. We were brought up to speed on the day the problems were encountered (courtesy of the almost daily walkthrough with Navid) and came up with a plan to do the job right. In the end we were a few hundred dollars over the initial quote which I’m pretty sure didn’t even cover the materials to rectify these things. We couldn’t be happier with end product and look forward to spending a lot of time out there.

’s reputation is well deserved and i’m sure we’ll have them back for stage two of the renovation. Thanks Navid.”

- Eileen B.

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They arrived promptly, completed the job with quality materials and workmanship, and were a pleasure to work with. They double- and even triple-checked the quality of the work. Great quality control. We cannot recommend them highly enough.”

- Stephen S.

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We were very satisfied with

's work. We thought we had a long list of jobs to be completed and weren't sure he would be able to get through them in 1 day. However, he worked so efficiently that the work was done a couple hours before we anticipated.

went out of his way make sure we got ...More a full day of handman work by tackling a job that we had reserved for another day. There was a large hole in one of our bathroom sinks that we weren't sure would be able to be fixed - we were preparing to replace the sink. After consulting with a handyman colleague on how it could be done, he took the initiative to purchase the needed materials and patch the sink. We would be happy to use